Treats for your sweet (+recipes)

Although many may dismiss Valentine's Day as a load of commercial drivel, I see nothing wrong with having one day a year on which to spend a little - or a lot of - time doing something out of the ordinary for your loved one.

There may be many out there who lovingly feed each other delicious morsels by candlelight on a nightly basis, but the rest of us approach Valentine's Day with plans for romantic dinners out or - often much more enjoyable, I think - in.

Food for Valentine's Day should be decadent and sensuous. Texture is as important as ingredients.

Good ambience is essential, so I suggest setting the scene with sultry music, beautiful flowers and generous amounts of candles.

As much as possible, prepare the food in advance, and don't have too much of it. Oysters and chocolate cake are enough to make most of us deliriously happy - provided there's room, of course, for champagne.